DEITCH: Wheeler's ouster is felt locally

Dennis Reardon is 45, which means his memories of being a fan of the Phillies pretty much started when Chris Wheeler began his broadcasting career with the Phillies in 1976.

And that is what made the news that broke Wednesday afternoon – that Comcast SportsNet had pushed Wheeler out of the television booth after 37 seasons of service – not just a surprise, but the loss of the last link to the infancy stages of his lifelong love of baseball.

“I am, and I’ve always been, a baseball guy,” said Reardon, who also is the athletic director at Marple Newtown High, the school Wheeler attended more than a half-century ago. “It’s the national pastime. He has been in my living room my entire life. I remember when he started in the booth – Whitey (Ashburn), Harry (Kalas), (Tim) McCarver, Andy (Musser).

“That’s just another fixture that’s gone … I was shocked when I heard the news.”

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Knowing Wheeler, he was at home in Blue Bell Wednesday afternoon, wondering why such a big deal was being made of the news that broke earlier in the day that his 37-year tenure as a television analyst for the Phillies was coming to an end.

Yet an argument can be made that Wheeler is the most recognizable sports figure to come out of Marple Newtown – and there were great athletes both before and after Wheeler walked those halls and was an infielder for the Tigers.

And throughout those 37 years, he never hesitated to share with the listeners his Delco credentials, sharing his memories of legendary football and baseball coach Lou Bonder.

“He was the Vince Lombardi on the high school level to us,” Dr. Jack Chidester, an orthopaedic surgeon who played baseball at Marple Newtown with Wheeler, said of Bonder. “There was a game where Chris was playing shortstop & I was at second base in a varsity game, and we turned a nice double play. Bonder wasn’t one to hand out compliments, but he said to me after the game, ‘You guys turned a helluva double play. You showed a lot of desire there. It’s a shame you don’t have any ability.’

“That was as a close as he came to a compliment.”

Eventually Wheeler made his way to Penn State, where his first broadcasting gig was working the Nittany Lions’ basketball game. Chidester remembers hearing about a game where Bonder – who in addition to coaching also was a highly respected referee who worked an NBA Finals – was at Penn State officiating a game the Nits had against a Big 5 team.

“…and every call is going the Big 5 way,” Chidester said. “So at halftime Chris is interviewing Mr. Bonder and he said ‘Mr. Bonder, it seems like there’s a lot of home cookin’ going on out there.’ And Mr. Bonder said, ‘Now, Chris, Chris you know that’s not true.’

“But for him to have the wherewithal to say that to Bonder…”

The man affectionately known as “Wheels” never lost his ability to ardently defend his alma maters. In fact, he carried it into his work with the Phillies. Yet as much as he adores the organization, Wheeler could conceal it during a broadcast far better than most. What he did not hide was his desire to see the game played the right way, and Wheels never hesitated to explain the game the way he was taught it through countless hours spent around the best minds within the organization.

“I always was amazed and overwhelmed and found it incredible the amount of baseball knowledge he stored up,” Chidester said. “He was a neighborhood kid. He has done very well and I have the utmost respect for what he made of himself.”

One year, Reardon asked if Wheeler would address the school’s athletes at a winter orientation. It just so happened it came just after the Phillies’ 2008 championship.

“He spoke probably for 45 minutes, turning and asking if he could keep going,” Reardon said. “the timing was phenomenal, and he could not have been any nicer.

“He was a tremendous advocate for the district. He was so visible, and over the course of any week he was mentioning Marple Newtown during a broadcast. I remember when the baseball team made a run deep in the state playoffs (in 2006), and he was giving the results of every game.”

It was the type of touch that made Wheeler more than just a Phillies’ broadcaster. It made him a part of a community, someone who grew up a Phillies’ fan, a crucial seam in the fabric of this area.

At some point, that seam was going to be torn out and require replacing. But when it happened Wednesday, it certainly made a loud noise and a large void.